Swazi Observer

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A GRIM FIRST YEAR

By Mbongeni Mbingo | 2024-11-15

So, by this time last year, excitement filled the air and with so much optimism for what lied ahead.
We were brimming with the hope of a brand-new start; hope that the new incumbent to the position of chairman of Cabinet would bring about a rejuvenation and acceleration of service delivery.

Politics is a game of perceptions in the end and it was in keeping with this that everything suddenly swelled with the appointment of cabinet. Yet, one year later, where are we?

Where is that optimism that swept through with the arrival of Savannah Maziya at Hospital Hill, that fresh new kid on the block that was greeted with such optimism she could have been granted the rare honour of choosing her portfolio.

This cabinet was hailed as a great mix of freshness and quality of experience; a mix of energy and potential that was to adhere to the mandate as soon as they would have received their new wheels to drive them around.

And given the contextual background, largely the political angst and the calls for a change of gear in the governance, there really was high expectation for Cabinet and government to hit the ground running – and give the nation the confidence that we were once more reunited behind the sense of duty and nationhood, so that if there ever was a moment to question the direction the country ought to take, it was that we needed to reaffirm, it was settled at Sibaya – and everyone agreed with the Nkwe declaration.

It is now a year since Cabinet took office and politicians have now settled nicely in their positions. The question now has to be asked if the hopes of the nation are misplaced or if the government is improving under this cabinet.

This to me is the discourse of the day, that should provide all of us with a reality check – as to whether we have a Cabinet that can last the mile or that while we will not throw the baby out with the bathwater, we can be realistic with our expectation.

This is to say, after a year on the job, there should be signs of whether people are coming or going – and at this point, my sense is that there is still a very long way to go.

It is not hard to see that Cabinet has its own list of challenges, perhaps more internally than external. I am certain too that there are a number of lightweight ministers who should be relieved of their misery already, because where we sit we can all agree they have not done anything to justify where they are.

But, we will give them the benefit of a few months – with the next three months key to helping them get a breather and an opportunity to reflect on their performance.

The first few months of next year will therefore be critical to assessing whether this Cabinet should be trusted to turn the ship around – especially tackling the challenges in their portfolios.

There is still so much work for the Cabinet to convince that they are up to this task and for me it is not rocket science that the prime minister needs to demand certain deliverables if the team he is leading is to accelerate service delivery issues.

For starters, the biggest crisis of this country over the past three years – the drugs shortage – is still persistent and we are continuing to be fed excuse after another and more shifting of the goalposts.

I am still amazed that after all that has been said, and the money that has been spent, this government has failed to deal with this issue.

This is despite that it is so succinct and to everyone where the problem lies. However, Cabinet is failing to come up with a solution that is plain to see, even to a child in primary school.
Scammers

Instead, Cabinet and the prime minister have fallen for the scammers; have enabled the corruption and fraud that is out there for everyone to see. Yet, hospitals still go for months without critical drugs and medication and people are rubbing their hands in glee.

I say that this issue is the reason politicians lose their positions. I say that this scandal is usually the subject for heads rolling. But here we are, the culprits are still in the driving seat; the lying is still continuing unabated and more and more millions of our hard-earned money are being paid out and the wool is being pulled over our faces every single day.

For me, this is not a matter for the minister of health alone. This is a Cabinet matter – and the sooner the prime minister takes this issue up, the better for all of us.

It has been clear for a while that the ministry is failing to tackle this problem, and that whatever mitigation that is implemented only serves as a stop-gap – or really seems to fall into the plan, for those

benefitting from the drugs shortage.
Because, let us be honest, there are people benefiting from this, while there are thousands of people who are not getting access to service from the hospitals.

The fact that this crisis has been there for a while and yet the Cabinet has not found a solution or seems to be deliberately missing the point in its diagnosis is the actual elephant in the room. It only serves to give us ideas why, and now brings me to conclude that the prime minister needs to take control and save us from the sharks.

By the way, as it stands, and for the rest of the year, the controversial excuse for a forensic report has still not been debated in parliament, despite what you might have read anywhere else in the world.

That report, which will never provide any solutions, is the basis for the continued collapse of the health sector – and yet, politicians are happy to make us believe they care enough to do something about this.

Anyway, the other issue that isn’t helping Cabinet’s cause is how corruption is still thriving; the exponential looting of the public purse and poor handling of the Ecpsonent collapse, with Emaswati left on their own except being given endless promises that have seen only fairy tale being provided as the solution.

There is still late payment of OVC grants; late payment of the student allowances and let’s not even discuss the social grants!

All of these things demonstrate that there isn’t quite a clear direction of what has been prioritised so far at the hospital hill, except where there are ministers having to globetrot at our expense. Ahh let us not forget the scandal that is playing itself nicely at the ministry of agriculture, where the veterinarians have been thrown under the bus, in the wake of that scandalous abattoir directive.

And for all its worth, the minister of sports has folded his arms nicely and watching as the country remains without a national stadium, forcing our football teams to dig deep into their pockets for money they do not have. No wonder now the Highlanders messiah has been exposed, because he too has realised his pockets aren’t as deep.

The fact is, the ministry of sports doesn’t realise the value that the stadium brings to this economy; the cost to our football and the entire ecosystem as our teams now have to play their international football in neighbouring countries.

This can’t be left to go on any longer, but for a Cabinet that doesn’t get it, of course it will go on for another year!

But, let us not fool ourselves; there is something we can be proud of; the fact that civil servants are getting paid; the fact that our debt to GDP is good; the fact that we are paying our bills as a country. Well done babe Neal. Siphilela wena!

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